Sunday 2014 August 10 Sunday (Location and Decisions)

75 degrees this morning.  Walked 55;11 minutes.  (Rain started right as I ended my walk)

The three most important values of real estate (location, location, location) and the cliche “Act in Haste, repent at leisure” were reinforced yesterday as we looked for a possible YMCA.   

We actually had selected a house in another part of town, but the Lease (the house was owned by a national company who bought out a bunch of houses to rent out and hopefully sell at a profit in the future) was grossly unacceptable. 

Although we liked the house, the Lease was unacceptable, it proposed a 10 increase in rent after one year, and required that we would be responsible for the fence (which was in extreme disrepair) and other items as well as responsible for any repair under $100.  We may look like fools, but we aren’t an dee told them “no thanks”, even though we loved the house and the location.

The location included an “off the road” walking/bicycle path that we could take for exercise, but also connected to commercial and community activities as a post office, major grocery store and  a lot of service provides such as a pharmacy, Doctors and Dentists offices etc.  

Yesterday, we realized it was also within walking distance (less than one mile, and directly connected with an off road bike/walking trail) of a major, brand new YMCA.  

It also is located in the City I that believes a City is supposed to upgrade the living experience of the residents and the city emphasizes bike and walking trails, landscaping of major streets etc.  Just a lot better environment. 

The trade off for all of this is that traffic is horrible if you want to get any place other than the places you can walk to.

At our current house, we are within a mile of a major mall, and, like in Lakeland, are within two miles of any restaurant you would like to eat at and a Wal Mart and Sams etc.  (Here they don’t have a Firebirds or a Steak n Shake, but they do have a Braum’s!)   There are also no walking paths/bike trails and sidewalks are there, but not always really usable.  

Also, we have convenient access to an interstate and can get anywhere in the area quickly.  At the other location, it probably would take 15 minutes more (much more when traffic is bad) to get anywhere.

Since we had only a few days to find a house, we made the best decision we could, and it may well be this  house was the best decision.  (The other specific house was not a factor, since I would never sign such a lease.)  

Anyway, the decision was made and there are a lot we enjoy about this house (the easy access etc.) and since we are leasing it isn’t like we can’t review our decision and made another decision in a year.

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We continue to deal with downsizing and deciding what to do with items. We took five more boxes of books to the Library last week and I continue to see books I can “weed” and hopefully find  a home for them.  A lot of other items that we probably will get rid of when I mentally accept the idea that I don’t need them  or can easily replace them if I need them.  

Watching a boxing match I copied last night as I read this, I noted that frequently the “knock out” punch is difficult to see.  Kind of like life.

That’s it for now, Sunday, August 10, 2014

Spring 2014 5 27 Tuesday

72 degrees this morning. Looks a little like rain.

Flat tire on my bicycle this morning coming up the final hill home. I know I ran over something and started hearing a "bump bump" and then then tire went flat. It doesn't happen often, thank goodness. I take my flats in to be fixed, so it is a little hassle, but not nearly as much if I tried to change my own! (I have tried, and I am just mechanically challenged).

I probably will go ahead and get the "Armadillo" tires or something like that, they are supposed to resist punctures well. One puncture and I'm ahead.

Maybe I will use this as an excuse to buy another bicycle so I have a backup!

Back to the apples. While I still can't bring myself to try apples yet after getting two packages of bad ones from Costco, I did take the bad ones I got Saturday back to Costco, if nothing else just to let them know. They not only refunded my money, they also refunded my money for the bad ones I had gotten the Monday before and threw away. When I returned the second package, I causally mentioned I had thrown away an earlier package (hardly expecting a refund) and she actually looked it up and refunded my money. A reason who Costco is so successful, I believe. However, I still can't stand the thought of apples, the last ones were so bad.

May be rain today, an end to the beautiful weather. It was a good weekend, even if "every day is a holiday" now for me. Had some friends over, went to a friends house etc.

Getting my MacBook Air out of the Apple hospital this morning, or at least today. Hopefully I can get both of them setup so all my pictures are on a hard drive and I can work off that hard drive, hopefully resulting in less duplication.

Six months ago last night I officially (so to speak) became unemployed. I wrote some thoughts on it, but mothballed my comments for right now. I can always publish them, but I can't take them back.

I wasn't too worried, I figured I would get a job soon.
What I didn't expect was the overwhelming age discrimination (much blatant) in my search for employment. I don't really have a problem with people wanting someone younger, professionally I feel that a Board/Council should be able to select whomever they want as City Manager, but it really doesn't blunt my resentment or, sometimes, rage, to be targeted strictly on my age. However, it falls into one of those categories that I can't do anything about it, so I won't worry about it. However, if the opportunity to help persons who experience age discrimination ever arises, I will grab it. I don't have any desire to work somewhere with someone like that, so I don't worry about it. I know it is illegal, but proving it is something else.

I do plan to make a detailed summary of my job search (no names, I'm not out to get anyone), and hopefully someone will see themselves as discriminating or being discriminated against. Well, hopefully, but not likely.

I wish AAA had bike protection where someone would come out and change your tire. It would be worth the money. I understand they do have it in Portland, and a few other places. Not likely to come to Lakeland, where the spoiled brat politician mayor and board of fools turn down $1,000,000 for a badly needed bike and ped path.

Going to be one of those days where I wish Lakeland also had Task Rabbit or a similar service, taking the bike tire to be fixed, picking up the computer and a mismash of other small errands that take up time.

I am so glad Summer is here. I love my patio, especially sitting out here in the early morning and just Summer in general. I hate to wast time on non-productive tasks.

Some nibbles/bites on the house. We know we have to sell the house and get out of this town (even if it is just across the street), but we hate to leave our wonderful house. Life isn't always what you want, and it may be our next phase will be even better.

Spring 2014 April 21 Monday

61 degrees this morning.  Warm is getting here!

Interesting story about "bots" (as bots on the Internet, Facebook, Twitter etc.).  I was aware of them before and aware that a large amount of people on social media are actually "bots", but I was surprised at how widespread the story said they are.  For example for a nominal amount you could "buy" 10,000 "friends" on Facebook, or 10,000 followers on Twitter etc.  

The story also mentioned that many "bots" are not programed to have names like people (John Doe, rather than "Doe 4y199yy98" and "speak" like humans and also shut down for "sleep" periods etc.  I almost never "talk" with a person (or a bot) on the the internet I don't know or for business reasons, but I expect even then I may have "talked" with a bot, which is strange feeling.  I can see where a bot could be used to increase business and fake "clicks" on ads etc.  A different world.  

Good day yesterday, we had dinner at a friends house and it was a beautiful day.  

We may finalize a purchase contract on the house today.  If we do, closing is still so far off (in late June) that it appears an unreality.  We wanted to maintain flexibility depending on where I might end up with a job etc.  In any event, we want to get out of a "no-service, 'none city" city that Lakeland has turned into, even if we just move across the street to Memphis.  We absolutely love the house and hate to leave.

The forest in back of our house gets greener every day.  It is a wonderful sight to see.

I like to tape the "Formula One" race and watch it early in the morning.  I like the fact it isn't a super long race, and I love the announcers!  They are so human in their announcing and throw an entire new light into the race. The race yesterday was in Shanglai, but if they hadn't told me, I would never have known it (other than some China flags flying).

The start of a new week.  I love to monitor the stock market, and I have ever since I was in the 8th grade.  It is difficult not to have CNBC on all the time!  

I am looking forward to the Tennessee City Managers Association (TCMA) conference, they are having a session on "Leadership Lessons from Lincoln" based on President Lincoln.  I have read a lot about Lincoln, so I am looking forward to the sessions.  It will be a good review.

Approaching some major decisions in the next several months.  One of those moments in life when you make a decision for better or worse and live with it, or not.

That's it for now.

Summer 2013 August 3

79 degrees this morning, very pleasant day, cloudy 

I especially enjoy Saturday and Sunday morning for the opportunity to sit out on the patio a little longer.  Even then, the time goes too fast!  Soon the time will come when it is too cool to sit out on the patio, although I usually can until early November.  

The woods sit in back of my house, quiet and presenting a smooth surface to what I expect is a seething caldron of birds, insects, animals etc. playing out their daily life.  It is much more open in winter without all the leaves etc.

Soon we will have lived in our house (with this wonderful view!) for almost 8 years (I believe-it is amazing how time gets lost in the mass of time gone by).  We actually bought the house in August and moved in in December.  It is a wonderful house, and we have really enjoyed it, especially the view.

I finally had to take down the bird feeders, and haven't put them back up, since raccoons or some other animal kept getting into them.  (I was also concerned about the pests that came to feed on the seed the birds dropped.) The birds always throughly enjoyed the feeders, although I expect there are many others available.